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Amyris Partners with Queensland on Biofutures Acceleration Program in Next Step Toward Planned Development of Biorefinery

EMERYVILLE, Calif. and BRISBANE, Australia, June 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amyris, Inc. (AMRS), the industrial bioscience company, and the Government of Queensland, Australia today announced the next step their plans to develop a leading industrial biotechnology hub in Southeast Asia. Plans call for developing a new production plant with support from local partners to produce Amyris’s sugar cane-based ingredient called farnesene, which is used in products including cosmetic emollients, fragrances, nutraceuticals, polymers, and lubricants.

Acceleration of this project, which was first announced on December 6, 2016, came out of the Queensland Government’s Biofutures Acceleration Program that offers support to companies to build commercial-scale biorefineries in regional Queensland. Amyris was chosen based on its legacy expertise in operating such production facilities.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the interest by Amyris was welcome.

“Amyris is seeking to replicate its successful biorefinery in Brazil and sees Queensland as an ideal location due to the abundance of sugarcane and close proximity to Asia,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“The company’s proposed biorefinery would aim to produce 23,000 tonnes a year of a sugar cane-based ingredient called farnesene which is used in a range products including cosmetics, fragrances, nutraceuticals, polymers, and lubricants.”

“The Queensland Government’s funding and support for biorefinery projects will create high-value jobs and investment in regional Queensland by using renewable feedstocks to...